[Pharmaco-economic aspects of the treatment of hypertension]

Hypertension affects a large proportion of the adult population. Subsequently any change in treatment strategy may have a drastic impact on health expenditure especially when one decides to decrease the limits of arterial pressure beyond which a treatment is started. Results of pharmaco-economic studies are often controversial because they are mainly based on an evaluation of short-term absolute risks, maybe underestimating the benefit of a treatment in younger population with mild to moderate hypertension. All groups of antihypertensive drugs are able to reduce the blood pressure and most of them can induce a light improvement of patient quality of life. Diuretics and beta-blockers have a lower cost/effectiveness ratio. ACE inhibitors and calcium antagonists may be preferred when other drugs are badly tolerated or when some other morbidities affect the patient.